Ministry of foreign affairs condemns hate crimes committed by settlers against Palestinians

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemns the burning of a mosque in the village of Deir Istiya near Salfit in the Northern part of occupied Palestine.The Ministry said in a statement Thursday that this criminal act was committed by a group of settlers as part of the "price tag" operation which aims at performing random violence against Palestinians under the protection of the Israeli soldiers despite the continuous attempts of the Israeli government to deny its responsibility.According to UN figures, the annual rate of Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians has almost quadrupled in eight years which is alarming and calls for an urgent intervention by the international community.The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that such an inhumane conduct by settlers should not be tolerated or met with silence and calls upon the international community to take firm actions against such hate crimes and those who execute them.